Mad Vlad Jr. had a monster year at the plate in 2018.
Guerrero Jr., the son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr., spent the season split across four minor league teams with pit stops in the Gulf Coast League (rookie ball) and in the Florida State League with the Dunedin Blue Jays (advanced A-ball) where he played a combined four games.
The majority of his campaign was spent in Double-A with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats where he slashed a ridiculous .402/.449/.671 with 14 home runs and 60 RBIs in 61 games.
Rated as the top overall prospect in baseball by various outlets which helped spring the Jays into the fifth spot for MLB Pipeline's latest organizational rankings, the incumbent face of the Blue Jays was promoted to Triple-A Buffalo where he continued to smash the cover off the ball.
Playing in his final game of the season on Tuesday night, Guerrero Jr. went 1-for-4 with a stand-up double after smashing his sixth dinger in Triple-A on Monday night.
After being called up on July 28th, the 19-year-old batted .336/.414/.564 and clubbed 6 homers and 16 RBIs with the Bisons in 30 games. Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins confirmed that third-baseman won't be joining the big club a part of their September call-ups, meaning his 2018 season is officially over.
So, how did he do over the 90 games played spread over the four minor league affiliates?
That's something you'd see in a video game. While the glove remains a work in progress, those numbers are simply eye-popping, further indicating that he'd likely already be in the big leagues if not for the MLB's service time rules.
In a rather forgettable season for the Blue Jays, Guerrero Jr. is the glimmer of hope that Jays fans are wishing will shine bright like the top of the CN Tower across the GTA and country of Canada for years to come.
